1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of data transmission. In one exemplary aspect, the invention relates to the use of an interactive application for enabling a user to interact with and adjust the reclamation of bandwidth in a bandwidth constrained content and data distribution (e.g., cable) network.
2. Description of Related Technology
The provision of content to a plurality of subscribers in a content-based network is well known in the prior art. In a typical configuration, the content is distributed to the subscribers devices over any number of different topologies including for example: (i) Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network, which may include e.g., dense wave division multiplexed (DWDM) optical portions, coaxial cable portions, and other types of bearer media; (ii) satellite network (e.g., from an orbital entity to a user's STB via a satellite dish); (iii) optical fiber distribution networks such as e.g., “Fiber to the X” or FTTx (which may include for example FTTH, FTTC, FTTN, and FTTB variants thereof); (iv) Hybrid Fiber/copper or “HFCu” networks (e.g., a fiber-optic distribution network, with node or last-mile delivery being over installed POTS/PSTN phone wiring or CAT-5 cabling); (v) microwave/millimeter wave systems; etc.
Various types of content delivery services are utilized in providing content to subscribers. For example, certain content may be provided according to a broadcast schedule (aka “linear” content). Content may also be provided on-demand (such as via video on-demand or VOD, free video on-demand, near video on-demand, etc.). Content may also be provided to users from a recording device located at a user premises (such as via a DVR) or elsewhere (such as via a personal video recorder or network personal video recorder disposed at a network location) or via a “startover” paradigm, which also affords the user increased control over the playback of the content (“non-linear”).
Current carrier class stream delivery mechanisms require mechanisms for conserving and/or efficiently using bandwidth. For example, Broadcast Switched Architecture (BSA; also commonly known as “switched digital video” or “SDV”) content delivery networks, such as that described in co-assigned application Ser. No. 09/956,688, filed Sep. 20, 2001, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,623 on Apr. 29, 2014, and entitled “TECHNIQUE FOR EFFECTIVELY PROVIDING PROGRAM MATERIAL IN A CABLE TELEVISION SYSTEM”, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, may be utilized to selectively deliver only a subset of available programming to network subscribers in order to optimize bandwidth. Delivery of programming under this mechanism is typically based on customer requests (or lack thereof) for programming; however, bandwidth consumption may vary greatly during the day. In a fixed bandwidth model, the BSA architecture delivers a fixed amount of programming based on the fixed bandwidth constraint; the programming actually delivered at any given time will be only a fraction of the total of the programming available to the user base.
In the BSA or SDV model, content which is no longer being viewed or utilized by subscribers is switched out of delivery in favor of new requests. In many instances, the determination of which content may be switched out is made by sending so-called “pings” to the subscribers receiving content which may no longer be utilizing that content. The set of subscribers to ping may be determined based on the amount of time elapsed since a last button press, or may be determined based on a sensed physical presence of a viewer/user. If a subscriber does not respond to a ping, content delivery is ceased, and the bandwidth is reclaimed for the provision of content for subsequent requests.
Failure to respond to ping messages (and/or lack of physical presence of a viewer/user at the display device) may not necessarily indicate the desirability for carrier reclamation. In some instances, the previously requested (old) content should still be provided to these devices. For example, a subscriber may tune to a content channel providing music content for an extended period of time, continuing to utilize the content (i.e., listen to the music) although he/she is not physically present at the device. If the content is selected for bandwidth reclamation the user may not be nearby to respond to a ping, and the content delivery may be torn down and the carrier(s) reclaimed, an undesired effect. Other examples and instances where bandwidth reclamation is undesirable include without limitation the case where a user is tuned to a channel for purposes of recording the delivered program stream, but is not physically present (e.g., remote-initiated recording, or recording while the user is away at work).
Accordingly, what are needed are apparatus and methods for disabling reclamation features for specific content, carriers, devices, use contexts, and/or users, thereby ensuring uninterrupted delivery of requested content thereto. Ideally, such apparatus and methods would be configured to provide a network operator and/or a user or subscriber the ability to disable reclamation.